Real estate agents love to use the phrase indoor-outdoor flow. If a home has great flow from the inside to the outdoor living, dining and garden areas, then you have one of the most requested things on most buyers’ wishlists. Achieving this can be tricky if your home’s configuration faces the wrong way for the sun, but there are ways around this.
Consider your homes orientation
If the main outside doors and deck area are on the wrong side of the house, you may have to weigh up a renovation to turn things around. If it involves completely swapping bedrooms with the kitchen and vice versa, that may be out of the question.
A clever outdoor design with an easterly aspect would capture morning sun, so consider a conservatory-style shelter to let in sun and light, but not the wind.
Using what you have
If your living areas have a westerly aspect, you must make the most of it. French doors or sliding doors leading to a deck and garden area not only brings the backyard in but also increases the usable floor area of the home.
Outdoor furniture
Invest in a good barbecue and outdoor table and chairs. If it is a particularly sunny spot, a heavy-duty umbrella on a portable stand is gold for protecting the family from direct sun – and will tell possible buyers you get a lot of sun. If you’d like something more permanent, look at a louvre system you can open and shut depending on the weather. There are many options for this type of shelter online so do your research.
Pots & planters
If your backyard is tiny, create a tropical feel with pots and planters. Choose lightweight plastic pots, available in many shapes and sizes, so they are easy to move. Plant palms, birds of paradise and cycads, then underplant them with trailing groundcover and allow time for them to mature. Photograph the area you want to reimagine and experiment with AI for inspiration.
Grow a few herbs and lettuces in rectangular planters. Picking fresh leaves for salads and sandwiches is a pleasure, and a compact kitchen garden can appeal to buyers. Resist planting every vegetable you see; stick to a few varieties. They grow quickly and an overcrowded patch can soon become a jungle and go to seed if it is not maintained.
Decking
If you’re building a deck, you may need consent, so check your plans with a builder or the council. Keeping the project within consent-free thresholds could save considerable time and money. Enjoy the warmer weather ahead and remember that time and money spent reconfiguring your indoor-outdoor flow is never wasted.
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